


Irresistibly Speaking

by LittleOrangeLoveseat



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:33:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 15,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23886025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleOrangeLoveseat/pseuds/LittleOrangeLoveseat
Summary: In Ginny's sixth year, she tires of Draco's constant badgering and picking on her. Fed up with letting it simply roll off her back, the two soon engage in an all out war; pranks and hexes flying right and left. Note that this was started in 2006, before the seventh book was released -- so AU post HBP!
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Ginny Weasley
Comments: 7
Kudos: 21





	1. Bad First Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4/27/2020 - What you are about to read is a thorough overhaul of a fanfiction originally published July 2006, last updated January 2007. It was, as I say in my archived Author’s Notes, my first real fanfiction. In six months I wrote twenty-two chapters, but did not manage to finish the story. Tonight… I begin the process of drawing it all to a conclusion. Originally posted elsewhere, this story is making its debut on AO3 as I revise the chapters!
> 
> 7/7/2006 - This is my first fanfiction, of course sporting my favorite Harry Potter ship: Draco/Ginny. I sadly have no idea what I'm doing with this, so please bear with me as I wing it.

"Careful, Weasley, you keep blundering like that, Potter may not be interested in you anymore!" An all too familiar voice sneered down at the redhead sprawled on the floor in the hallway. The crowd of Slytherins around them snickered, none more audible than Pansy Parkinson. The drippy girl was currently hanging all over Malfoy.

Ginny's face turned bright red.  _ What a great way to start my first day as a sixth year, huh?  _ Still _ can't get the bloody rumors to stuff themselves _ . She glared up at the pinched face of the prick who tripped her, brown eyes flashing dangerously. "Old news, ferret boy."

Malfoy's lip curled into his trademark sneer as he lifted one shiny, black-shod foot and brought it down hard on Ginny’s bag. There was an unmistakable  _ crunch _ , which seemed to satisfy him for he turned away to leave. The onlookers tittered gleefully as they trailed after him down to the dungeons. Ginny suppressed a groan and just hoped it wasn't too messy, before stuffing the dislodged supplies back in. She rushed after the group, arriving just in time for her Potions class.

Unfortunately, when it came to the Potions master, 'just in time' meant two nights of detention scrubbing school cauldrons of the grime that had been boiled on and left to rot for a few years. Such a letdown, considering she  _ had _ been his best student the previous year.

She pulled out a roll of cheap parchment and dug around for her favorite quill. Charlie had brought it back from Romania especially for her.  _ Great. That git must have it. _ Rolling her eyes in exasperation, she settled for the bent one squirreled away at the bottom of the bag. It was drenched in ink, along with almost everything else.

By lunch, Ginny could easily say that today had not been her best. She was disappointed to find that her preferred quill wasn't anywhere to be seen after Potions, and in addition to the ink incident, she’d realized last minute that she had forgotten her Transfiguration book. In running up to the girl’s dormitory to get it, she’d left her wand on the bed, which had resulted in five more points being taken. Come Charms, she had been paired with a troublesome Slytherin boy who kept making the goblet of wine they were supposed to be turning into cheese tip itself over on her. After the seventh time drenching her lap, she’d given up hope of completely removing the stain from her gray uniform skirt.

Ginny plopped down between Hermione and Seamus, who were seated across from Harry and Ron. She reached for the bowl of salad and started loading up her plate, snapping at anyone who dared to ask why her hands were more ink than skin.

Ron and Harry exchanged perplexed looks, shrugging. It wasn’t worth having their heads bitten off to find out.

After scarfing several bites, Ginny hurried out of the Great Hall in the hopes of ensuring that she had everything she needed for Arithmancy before heading off to the library. She intended to spend her free period there, working on the three-foot essay Snape had assigned on Billywig stings. When the staircase she was on gave a great lurch and began to move, she let out a frustrated growl. Her irritation mounted as she waited for it to creak its way back to the landing she needed, whereupon she was ambushed by Peeves. He was busily spraying first years with icy water, then dumping flour on their heads by the sackful. She ducked one, only to receive a direct blow to the head by another she hadn't noticed. Grumbing, she stomped up to the portrait of the Fat Lady, and bit out the password ( _ Dancing Dungbombs _ ) before clambering through. A pair of second years nearly fell out of their seats when they saw her, but Ginny took no notice. Just what she  _ hadn’t  _ wanted, to waste her precious free period on taking a shower.

Later, when everyone had finished their dinner, Dumbledore rose and announced that he wished to see all prefects in the adjoining chamber.  _ Oh bugger, well that explains why everyone’s been so sodding  _ rude _ today,  _ Ginny thought sourly as she realized she’d neglected to pin her badge on that morning. As Head Girl and another of Gryffindor’s prefects, Hermione and Ron stood up with her. Together, they had to fight against the swarm of students headed in the opposite direction, eager for bed. Ginny felt like collapsing in bed herself, but managed to rally with the reassurance that it was just one little meeting.

Once inside, Ginny looked around to see if there was anyone she knew. Colin, Hermione and Ron were from Gryffindor of course, and she was good friends with both Luna and Terry Boot from Ravenclaw. She also recognized a couple of sixth year Hufflepuffs from Herbology. The rest were students she didn't recognize, save for one steel-eyed, puffed-up ponce she was not too keen on seeing.

_ Bloody git.. Can't imagine  _ why _ they'd want  _ him _ for Head Boy,  _ Ginny thought to herself spitefully. Malfoy caught her glaring at him and smirked, eyebrows raised. Shooting him one last look to kill, she turned her attention to Dumbledore, who was passing out assignment sheets. Ginny glanced down at hers and was glad to see that her first patrol wasn't until Wednesday, leaving her two glorious nights to catch up on her rest.

Back in the common room, Ginny threaded her way between the armchairs and sofas scattered about the room, heading for the stairs to the girl’s dormitory. Hurriedly, she got ready for bed before collapsing onto the duvet, falling almost immediately into a deep, dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2006 - Sorry for the lack of dialogue and whatnot..again..first attempt. I promise to try to make it more interesting! Please R&R!
> 
> 2020 - Wow that was super painful. So many run-on sentences to break apart, hackneyed phrases to replace… To be fair, I was only thirteen when I started this!


	2. Where It Began

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2006 - Well, here goes chapter two! I think I may be having the chapters alternate POVs, going between Ginny and Draco. Of course, then you can't count on a consistent length, but whatever! I'm trying! lol

Tuesday, the second day of Draco's seventh and final year at Hogwarts, found him up early. Naturally, he was spending the extra time fixing up his hair.  _ There is  _ no _ way she'll be able to resist the Malfoy charm, especially when paired up with such great hair! _ he thought rather vainly to himself. His latest mark was the dark-haired Ravenclaw he’d set his eyes on during lunch the previous day.  _ What was her name? Oh, yeah..Lisa Turpin. _ Her hair was long, her skin pale, a picture of perfection completed by bright red lips and vibrant blue eyes. Gorgeous, in Draco's book, anyway.

Draco pulled himself out of his reverie and glanced over at his lifelong friend, Blaise Zabini. The other boy was still snoring in his bed, his usually-spiked black hair now rumpled from sleep. Slytherin dormitory rooms were smaller than the ones up in the towers, and only slept two students to a room. Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle occupied the neighboring room, and were undoubtedly also snoring. Draco sighed and began shoving books and fresh rolls of parchment into his fine leather school bag, pausing only when he picked up a blue-green iridescent quill. 

_ Oh, yeah..the Weaselette's. Serves her right for tripping.  _

Draco frowned at the thought--he  _ had _ been the one to trip her, after all. He supposed it was revenge for Weasley and Potter's latest offense, though just what that might be this time, Draco was not sure. He racked his mind, and settled contentedly on the fact that they had ever been born.

Now that his mind was on the matter, Ginny Weasley seemed different than she had last year. Somehow more confident, brighter, and certainly more grown up. Draco couldn't help but note the ways in which these new looks suited her. Where her red hair used to be unflatteringly straight, it now hung down her back in nice waves. Not only that, but her petite figure was no longer just bones. Now there was some actual shape to her.

An hour later found Draco in the Great Hall, seated between his ex-girlfriend Pansy (who didn’t quite seem to understand what ‘ex’ meant) and Blaise (who didn’t quite seem to realize what ‘taken’ meant, if his ogling the pretty blonde Slytherin across from them was anything to go by). Draco was deep in thought as he worked through his breakfast when a name he hadn't expected to hear wormed its way to his ears. He turned to Pansy, who had apparently been under the pretense that he’d been listening to her all this time.

"Why is Weasley staring at you?" she pouted.

Draco glanced over at the Gryffindor table and scanned for red hair…  _ there _ . She was indeed staring at him.  _ What's her problem? _ He smirked and winked, satisfied to elicit the desired reaction: a blush and quick turn to Granger, who nodded and passed her a plate of sausages. Smirk still on his face, turned to Pansy and shrugged. Huffing, she turned away to talk to Millicent.

After breakfast, Draco exited the Great Hall with Blaise, Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy, and headed for the dungeons. They were cut off at the Grand Staircase by flaming hair and a furious glower. 

"What do you want, Little Weasel?" Draco sneered at her. The usual response from his crowd; a series of titters and snickers.

"Give it back, Malfoy," she demanded, eyes flaring.

_ What in Merlin’s name does she think I have? _

"I don't believe I know what you're talking about," he drawled as he racked his mind trying to fill in the blank.

"You bloody well know what I want. Give me my quill."

_ Oh..that. _

"Oh, this old thing?" Draco fished it out of his bag and held it up, jerking it out of Weasley’s reach as she snatched at it. "I'll bet Potter got it for you. That's right, isn't it?" he jeered, watching her cheeks burn red.

"Give. It. Back." It amused Draco to see her steamed up, and if he didn’t know better he’d swear her hair was beginning to crackle.

"I don't think so, I rather like it," he said as he pocketed the quill and brushed past her, leaving her to glare after him. He smirked to himself, cool gray eyes heartless as ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2006 - Thanks for reading..sorry for the short chapter! Please R&R, but don't be TOO cruel..


	3. Plotting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2020 - I might leave my 13 year old self’s disclaimers alone, obnoxious though some of them are...
> 
> 2006 - Wow, chapter three already. And thanks SOOO much to FreakyHOTGeek for being my ONLY reviewer so far! I lurve you so much! You may have a peanut butter fudge brownie. And some pad thai. Lol. Anywho, on with the story!
> 
> Not yet. Sorry. I forgot it in the other two chapters, so here it is:
> 
> Disclaimer: If I were so lucky as to own anything pertaining to the Harry Potter series, I would be snogging that thing like crazy. Obviously, I'm not; I'm wasting away in front of my computer.

Ginny was positively fuming as she stomped down the stairs and out onto the front lawn to the greenhouses.  _ That foul git! What is his problem? It's not like Harry actually gave me that quill anyway. I'll bet he bloody well knows it, too! _ Malfoy had gotten on her last nerve, and it was only the second day of term! Yesterday certainly hadn't helped any. It wasn't that the quill was her only one; she had more of course (Merlin, they weren’t  _ that _ poor!), but rather that she didn't know what his problem with her was.  _ Honestly Ginny, stop reading so much into it. He's a Malfoy, you’re a Weasley. You can just leave it at that! _

She quickly found herself teamed up with Luna, her roommate Luca, and Colin. Professor Sprout then began to call out instructions to the students, who were eying the dangerous looking plants in front of them warily.  _ Oh, what fun. _

Some time later, Ginny had holed herself up in the library. She’d fully intended to work on the essay Snape had asked for, but upon remembering that Malfoy still had her best quill, she found that she was simply too riled up to focus properly.  _ That's it _ , she decided.  _ He's going down.  _ Ginny shoved the bent up quill and blank parchment back into her bag. Perhaps it was time for a chat with her good ol' buddy, Peeves.

Finding Peeves had been easier said than done. Ginny had spent the entirety of her break roaming the hallways without incident. Well, unless one counted the string of invitations to Hogsmeade she’d received. Ginny knew she was pretty, but she hadn't quite prepared herself for the possibility that boys might ask her out. As a result, the first couple of boys just received funny looks. By the time a seventh year Slytherin girl, shortly followed by a third year Hufflepuff boy, asked her if she already had a date for the next trip, she’d perfected a polite declination. The Slytherin girl’s offer  _ had _ been tempting, though.

With no luck whatsoever at finding Peeves, she sighed and headed off to another boring hour of listening to Professor Binns drone on about goblin rebellions and the like. Ginny prided herself on her schoolwork -- not to the level that Hermione did, naturally, but Hermione certainly wasn’t the only smart girl at Hogwarts! Even so, she only managed to pay attention to the first ten minutes of Professor Binns’ lecture. Absently, Ginny shuffled through her papers, looking for a notebook to doodle in. Her curiosity was piqued when she came across her prefects’ schedule, realizing that she hadn't bothered to look at it earlier. She wondered who would be on patrol with her for her first night.  _ Hmm...  _ Ginny pursed her lips, scanning the list.  _ You’ve got to be kidding, _ she thought to herself. Someone had obviously not been paying attention, for they’d assigned Malfoy to patrol that night too. She turned to Luca, tapping her awake to show her the list. Luca gave a sympathetic look before laying her head back down. Ginny sighed and pulled out what was to be her Potion's essay. If she had to patrol with Malfoy the next night, she might as well have less on her mind.

By the end of her free period the next day, Ginny had finished the essay. She’d have much rather spent the time sleeping, considering that she’d gotten little chance to do so while peering through her telescope in the Astronomy tower the night before. When she’d looked in the mirror that morning, there had been visible bags under her eyes.  _ It’s too early in the school year to be feeling like this,  _ she groused.

Luca caught up with her on the way to Hagrid's cabin for Care of Magical Creatures.

"Hey," Ginny greeted her.

"Hey. Does that git still have your quill?"

"Ugh--yes," Ginny groaned, but then her eyes sparkled. "Not for long though! I am  _ so  _ getting him for that."

"How?" Luca was puzzled.

"Have you seen Peeves lately?" To Luca, the question seemed off topic at first, but then her eyes widened.

"Ooh! Good idea Gin, what are you going to have him do?"

"You'll see. Be near Snape's room around two or so, for a front row seat." Ginny was all smiles as the two headed towards the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2020 - In response to all the comments I got back in 2006-2007 (on the other site), YES I KNOW IT’S LUNA lol -- Luca is an OC based on a girl I was very good friends with at the time. My star reviewer, and a much better authoress than I! (But I appreciate the review nonetheless lol)


	4. Peeves Attacks

Draco's third day of school was not really much different, except perhaps that Pansy had gotten even  _ more _ attached to him, if that was possible. She hung all over him, touching him excessively. She laughed at all his jokes, which from anyone else would be fine of course, but from her was just annoying. Worst of all, she seemed to be trying to get him to love her ‘again’.

Draco found it all ridiculous.

Again, he sat deep in thought during breakfast. Again, he heard the name, and again he looked at the Gryffindor table. Today however, Ginny was the one grinning fiercely at him. He was somewhat taken aback, and when he left the Great Hall for Transfiguration, he half expected to see her waiting for him. When she was not there to block his path, Draco simply shrugged and headed up to Professor McGonagall’s classroom with Pansy, Blaise, and the two simpletons he couldn’t seem to shake.

The day went by smoothly right up until it was time for Potions. As per usual, Professor Snape kept them waiting outside his classroom for an indeterminate length of time before letting them in. Why he thought it wise to leave a group of Slytherins and Gryffindors unchecked, Draco could not fathom, but his godfather surely had his reasons.

_ Ah..there's Potty and his playmates, Weasel and the mudblood _ , he thought to himself.  _ Why not go have a little fun?  _ Draco nodded at his group and then headed over. When he was just a few feet away, the Gryffindors noticed him and looked up.

"What do you want,  _ Malfoy _ ?" Potter had so little respect for his name, spitting it out the way he always did.

"Watch it, Scarhe--AAAHHH!" Draco's insult was cut short by a huge mass of what seemed to be mud raining down on him.

_ What the--? _ Draco looked up, only to see Peeves cackling above him. Furiously, Draco swung at him. "Why you little--!"

Peeves jeered before swooping down towards him, pelting something...  _ What the bloody hell are-argh! _ He cursed as little bugs started oozing up his robes toward his face. As Draco tried pulling them off, they snapped at his fingers.  _ Flobberworms! _

Amid peals of laughter, Draco twisted around looking for the poltergeist, but he was nowhere to be found. That is, until Draco suddenly found himself face down on the ground, being dragged along by his nose.

"Ny node! Naaa! G'off my node!" Draco cursed the invisible troublemaker. Finally, he came to a stop at a pair of rather scuffed black shoes. His nose released, he slowly raised his head. The hem of a robe that was fraying, despite obvious efforts to charm it neat. A pleated gray skirt with faint stains visible up close. Equally unremarkable school-issue tie decked out in red and gold. The face above it all was smug. Next to her was another Gryffindor, and although Draco couldn't remember her name, he recognized her as one of the pauper’s friends. The littlest Weasel crouched down to him, wearing his smirk.

"Feel like giving it back now, darling?"

"Go to-"

"Miss. Weasley." Professor Snape's voice rang out through the hallway. Now it was Draco’s turn to smirk. He looked back up at her, glad to see her expression had turned to one of faint worry. "What do you think you are doing?"

"I'm sorry, Professor, sir, I was looking to see if Malf-- er, Draco was okay," she feigned a concerned tone. "Perhaps he should go to the Hospital Wing. I think he needs his head looked at..."

Draco gritted his teeth. She knew damn well that he hadn't hit his head at all, but when he tried to speak, no sound came out. The redhead glanced down at him, grinning when she noticed his fury. Draco glanced at Weasley's quiet friend. While her wand lay at her side, it was out and definitely pointed at him.

"Very well. You are to escort him there," Professor Snape ordered. “Oh, and five points from Gryffindor,” he added, before leading the rest of the students into the classroom. Once the door was shut, Draco felt his voice return.

"What the bloody hell was that for, Weasley!" Draco demanded, getting to his feet and brushing the dust from his robes.

She stepped right up to him and leaned in close, close enough for him to see the faint freckles dotting her nose and cheeks. Still, she came nearer. She was too short for him to kiss without leaning forwar--  _ Where the hell did that thought come from! _ He reared back as he felt her hair tickle his face.

"I want my quill back." With that, she turned and walked over to his bag. Picking it up, she rummaged around in it for a few seconds while Draco looked on dumbly. Apparently she found what she was looking for, because the next thing he knew she was in front of him again, shoving the bag into his chest.

"Come on, Luca, let's get this git down there,” she said.

"What did you filthy mudblood-loving traitor call me?!"

"On second thought-- Peeves?" Within seconds, Draco found himself being hauled along by his nose once again. Through the pain, he could hear the laughter of the two Gryffindors as they ‘escorted’ him to the Hospital Wing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2020 - Ew, I don’t like a Draco that uses the word ‘mudblood’... hopefully I wrote that out of his character neatly by the end!  
> 2006 - Sorry, I've got a nasty thing for run-on sentences. I hope it seemed longer to you! And I hope it was okay, too..lol. R&R!


	5. Randomania

Ginny's plan had gone off without a hitch.  _ Due in no small part to Luca for that wonderful silencing charm _ , she thought with a grin.

"So, now that you've got that bloody quill back, are you happy?" Having seen the git to the Hospital Wing, the two girls were biding the time before their next class by enjoying a jubilant walk.

"Rubbish! No, my dear Luca, it's only just begun."

"Right, well, you've got him off your back for a bit, stuck in the Hospital Wing and all,” Luca pointed out. “Oh! Come to think of it, he can't patrol tonight either! Blimey, that was brilliant!"

Ginny grinned to herself.  _ And that's not all...  _

“I'm stocked up for the next round, too.” Ginny walked away, leaving her friend to puzzle over what she'd said.

Catching up, Luca asked, "So what is it? Incriminating evidence? Illegal potions? A dragon?!"

Ginny laughed out loud at the last one. "You ninny! Do you really expect a dragon to fit in his bag?!"

Rounding a corner, Luca said, "No I supp--" 

Ginny cut her off, dragging her behind a nearby statue. Peering around, they watched a couple snogging a little excessively for so early in the afternoon.

"Come on," Ginny whispered. She crept forward on silent feet, resuming her normal gait only as she drew level with the couple. "Oi, get a bloody room you two!” she hollered, immensely satisfied to see their abject mortification at having been caught. To Luca and Ginny’s great amusement, he was a Slytherin and she a Hufflepuff, both fifth years.  _ Merlin, what a pair! Never thought I'd see a bloke like that with a Hufflepuff! Almost worse than Malfoy fawning all over that Ravenclaw! Ugh-- why did that part have to get in my head?! _

"Come on Gin, stop ogling or we’re going to be late for Potions. You don’t need to get any farther onto Snape’s bad side than you already are, after yesterday." With that, Luca pulled Ginny unceremoniously out of her thoughts and down to the dungeons.

Upon reaching the classroom they found that Professor Snape had not yet arrived, giving them a chance to talk for a few more minutes.

"So if it's not a dragon, what is it?" Luca picked up their conversation from earlier.

"I’m afraid you shall have to be patient, dear friend. I want to be sure it’s going to work, first. For now, we wait."

"For what?"

Before Ginny could answer, Professor Snape arrived and ushered them all into the room.

"Bring me your essays," he instructed, his expression even more annoyed than usual.  _ Come off it Gin, that’s just Snape on a good day! You’re lucky he hasn’t deducted any points yet. _ Grabbing up Luca’s roll of parchment as well, she made her way to the front of the room and deposited them both onto his desk.

At the end of class, Professor Snape asked Ginny to stay behind.  _ What does that old grump want now? _

Her silent query didn't go unanswered long. 

"Miss Weasley," he began, and if Ginny hadn’t been looking directly at him, she’d have sworn he was spitting out a rather revolting bit of food. "No matter how much it pains me to inform you, inform you I must. It has been decided that you are…  _ bored _ in this class.” He handed her a slip of parchment, his expression sour. "You will be moving up to the advanced class. Do  _ try  _ to focus on the lesson, rather than on your brother's Potions partner,” he sneered.

The resulting heat in Ginny’s face was due entirely to her irritation at the insinuation, rather than to any anticipation at sharing a lesson with Harry. The only thing to look forward to in the advanced Potions class was getting to share it with Hermione.

When he saw that she wasn’t going to take the bait, he sighed and dismissed her. She got as far as the door before he called out.

"Do not forget, Miss Weasley. You owe me two nights’ detention."

Ginny headed up to her dorm after dinner to relax for the fifteen minutes she had before she was due to patrol the corridors. Upon descending to the common room, she saw that Harry and Ron were playing Wizard’s Chess by the fire. Harry was doing a good job holding his own against her brother, but both players were clearly getting increasingly agitated as the game wore on. This was due in no small part to Hermione, who kept blurting out tidbits of information she had obviously just read in  _ How to Bash Up Your Opponent's Pieces: A Beginner's Guide to Wizard's Ches _ s.

Slipping through the portrait hole, Ginny began her first ever night on patrol duty. She very quickly came to realize that it wasn’t all catching ne’er-do-wells or running into her arch nemesis at every turn. In fact, her rounds were abysmally dull and she had not seen hide nor hair of Malfoy. After two hours of total boredom, she retreated back to Gryffindor tower.  _ Blimey, I’m knackered. Time for a nice, long night of rest.  _ Once in her pajamas, she crawled between the soft sheets and fell asleep immediately.


	6. The Hospital Wing

Draco was displeased, to put it mildly. He cursed his situation. Spending the rest of the day and the entirety of the night in the Hospital Wing did not land anywhere  _ close _ to the top of the list of things he’d hope to do his first week back at school.  _ This has that bitch Weasley written all over it _ , he steamed.  _ I suppose I should be pleased that I do not have to patrol with her tonight now, though it  _ would  _ make for a more interesting night than being stuck in here. If I was out patrolling, at least I'd have a chance to put her in her place... _

When the girls left him in Madam Pomfrey's hands, the matron had immediately set about removing the flobberworms. She then insisted that he take a supervised shower. His complaint of "I'm not a bloody three year old, you know!" fell on deaf ears. One of the nurse's helpers sat in the room with his back to the shower, ready to run and get her on a moment's notice.  _ Downright embarrassing,  _ he remembered. _ I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. _

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the arrival of two students. Glancing at the robes, he saw they were Hufflepuffs, and young ones at that. Couldn't be past their first or second year. It looked like the nose of one of the two girls had been on the receiving end of an Engorgement charm, albeit a minor one. It wasn't until Madam Pomfrey bustled over and asked the other girl what happened that he realized that she had been sprayed with bubotuber pus.  _ Eugh, _ Draco thought, grimacing as he noticed the boils that covered her arms.  _ Lovely. _

Rolling away to face the patient occupying the bed to his left, he saw that the fifth year Ravenclaw boy had fallen asleep.  _ What’s his problem again? Oh, yeah,  _ Draco thought, spying the tube of burn-healing paste.  _ Stupid git spilled his potion. _

Draco's thoughts turned back to his own predicament as he began formulating a plot for retaliation.  _ Yes _ , he thought to himself.  _ That will do nicely, I think.  _ The final details worked out, he simply had to wait.

The next morning, Draco was keen on getting out of the Hospital Wing.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy, I'd like to keep you here a couple more hours. We need to be sure that you are fully healed, and that there are no residual effects."

_ Merlin’s beard, lady, they were just some fucking flobberworms,  _ he thought petulantly.

"I'm fine, it was just a few worms and a bit of mud. I don't think I'm going to suffocate or burst out in boils. Look!" Draco got up and made an exaggerated circuit of the room, as if proving he could walk made everything clear.

"Now there’s no need to be unpleasant,” Madame Pomfrey chided. “Though I suppose leaving a  _ few  _ hours early couldn't hurt--”

"Finally," he muttered, snatching his bag and hurrying out. After sprinting down to the dungeons, he leaned against the wall by the hidden entrance to the Slytherin common room to catch his breath. That done, he stood and made to straighten his robes. With a groan, he realized that he’d forgotten to exchange the Hospital Wing robes for his own school ones. Muttering an expletive that would surely have made his mother look upon him reproachfully, he entered the common room, slamming the concealed door behind him with rather more force than was strictly necessary.

Draco figured that his odds of putting the past eighteen or so hours behind him with the majority of the school none the wiser were pretty good. Unfortunately, no sooner had he arrived at the Great Hall for breakfast than that very subject arose. 

“Hey Draco, I heard that you got quite a beating from Peeves yesterday!" a fifth year called down the table at him. Draco gritted his teeth.  _ Come on Draco, you know how to do this. Lay it on really thick. _

"Not exactly," he drawled, injecting his tone with just the right dose of idle indifference. "You see, I told Peeves off for messing with some of the second year Slytherins. Well,” he snorted derisively, “you can imagine that he wasn't too happy that I reported him to the Bloody Baron. It’s no surprise that he came after me." Draco finished. 

_ Perfect,  _ he congratulated himself.  _ Stand up for the vulnerable members of your own house, then look brave by taking the fall for it. _ Draco smirked at his ingenuity. Even the students who had witnessed the encounter first-hand seemed to buy his revision of the tale.

The fifth year who had originally broached the subject now turned back to his friends, and Draco could see them talking animatedly. Recognizing that their expressions were ones of admiration, he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

As he left the Great Hall some time later, Draco spotted the  _ real _ reason for Peeves’ attack and his subsequent stint in the Hospital Wing.  _ The Littlest Weasley. Perfect -- time for phase one. _ Separating himself from his group, he sauntered up to her.

"That was some stunt you pulled yesterday."

She’d been talking with her friend, and stopped now to turn and look at him. Her expression was one of utter innocence. "I honestly have no idea  _ what _ you're talking about," she replied sweetly.

"Pity, Weasley. The lot of you are not only filthy and poor, but liars too,” Draco spat out nastily.

"Pity, Malfoy. The lot of  _ you _ are not only murderers and Death Eaters, but gits too…” the girl countered, her temper flaring.

Draco's eyes hardened, rage filling his mind.  _ How  _ dare _ she? I am  _ not _ a Death Eater. Never have to be either, with my rotten father gone. _ Draco pushed past her, the rest of his Slytherins trailing behind.


	7. Potions with the Slytherins

"Wonder what's got his knickers in a bunch?" Luca peered around the corner after the irate Slytherin.

"Luca, it's Malfoy," Ginny replied matter-of-factly. "What more reason do you need? He's a git!"

Luca shrugged and followed her friend as they started to head up to their dormitory. The pair didn't get very far before Professor McGonagall caught up with them.  _ I wonder what she wants, _ Ginny thought as the Deputy Headmistress pulled her aside.

"So sorry for the confusion Miss Weasley, but apparently Professor Snape neglected to mention it; I'm sure you realize that your advancement in Potions calls for a schedule change. You'll be taking History of Magic with the Hufflepuffs and Slytherins." Ginny started to protest, but McGonagall continued. "There’s no need to worry, you will still be with your year. It is only the houses of your classmates that will be different. Please forgive the confusion," she concluded before turning on her heel and marching back toward the Great Hall, leaving Ginny to stare after her. Luca, who had been just out of earshot, now looked at Ginny for an explanation.

Ginny turned to Luca. "She's making me take History of Magic with the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs! As if that class weren't bloody boring enough. She's really lost her marbles this time!"

"There, there, dear. Don't worry," Luca soothed as she patted Ginny’s shoulder. "Look at the bright side! You'll still be able to spend the time plotting against Malfoy."

Two bells after lunch, Ginny headed down to the dungeons. Again, Professor Snape had not yet arrived. Ron noticed her and walked over, the other two members of the infamous trio not far behind.  _ Oh, boy. Here goes nothing! _

"Oi, sis. You get your timetable mixed up or something? What are you doing down here?” Ron asked in that annoyingly patronizing way older brothers sometimes do.

"Waiting for my next class to start," Ginny replied nonchalantly.

"But-- you don't have potions for another two periods," Harry said, bewildered. Ron gaped rather stupidly before shaking his head as if to clear it.

"You mean you're in advanced potions?" Ron’s expression was unreadable, which left Ginny feeling a little uncertain.

"Yes. Apparently I was 'bored' in my own class," she elaborated.

Ron pulled her into a bear hug. "Gin! I'm so proud of you, well done!" When Ron released her, Hermione put her own arm around Ginny’s shoulders and squeezed warmly, claiming she knew it would happen.  _ And that leaves Harry...  _ Ginny thought, half-hoping he'd hug her too, for all that she’d gotten over him.

"Well done," was all that Harry said, though he did so with a smile. Ginny's mild disappointment was interrupted by Malfoy and his cronies joining them.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the Pureblood Pauper. Looks like your family has got some brains, after all," the blond drawled.

_ Intrusive git, _ Ginny thought to herself.  _ Has to come and ruin the moment... _

"Hell of a lot of good it'll do you though," Malfoy continued. "Potter doesn't look for brains. He really ought to though, as he’s hardly got half of one as it is!"

_ Dear Merlin, I do believe his insults are getting worse and worse by the moment. And here I really didn't think it was possible! _

"Stuff it, Malfoy. My sister's smarter than you'll ever be," Ron cut in. Ginny barely refrained from snapping at Ron.  _ I can stand up for myself, thank you very much, _ she thought rather bitterly.  _ I know you’re trying to be the nice big brother, but now  _ really _ isn’t the time! _

Malfoy turned to Ginny, his look one of derision. "And there I was, thinking you could defend yourself. What a pity, Weasley.”

Ginny opened her mouth to retort, but Professor Snape had arrived, effectively cutting off whatever she might have been about to say. Inside the classroom, Ginny quickly found a seat with Hermione before Professor Snape could pair her off with some Slytherin. Looking around the room, she saw Ron and Harry paired; the git duo, Malfoy and Zabini; Lavender and Parvati; Crabbe and Goyle, of course; Pansy and Millicent Bulstrode; and then the last three boys, Neville, Seamus, and Dean all paired up.

Hermione leaned over, whispering, "I usually get paired with Neville, but considering that you're in our class now..." She trailed off as Professor Snape waved his wand, directing them to follow the instructions on the board for brewing an antidote to doxy bites.

What felt like hours later, they stumbled up the steps of the dungeons and separated. Ginny headed outside to Care of Magical Creatures, where she caught up with Luca.

"Hey! How was Potions?" Luca asked brightly.

"I’ll give you one guess at who else is in that class besides my brother and his friends!" In her displeasure, Ginny’s words came out somewhat angrier than she had intended.

Luca's eyes widened. "No-- not the Slytherins! That means--"

"Yes, I'm stuck with that disagreeable prat for the rest of term! This school is absolutely mental!"

"Now, now, dear. Let's not sound so chuffed about it, eh?"

"I am bloody well  _ not _ happy about it!" Ginny could feel her temper rising in earnest.

"Come off it, I was only kidding." Ginny felt Luca's arm around her shoulders as she dragged her down the slope towards the forest. "So what if the teachers are off their rockers? At least you're not paired with him!"

“Who’s to say I’m not?” Ginny asked mysteriously.

“Oh sweetie. One or the other of you would be dead by now, I’d wager,” Luca replied sagely. Laughing, Ginny gave in to Luca’s loyal attempts to brighten her mood.


	8. Hogsmeade

The next two weeks passed by at a maddeningly slow rate. Draco nearly jumped for joy when Friday arrived, for the next day was to be the first Hogsmeade trip of the term. More importantly, after a particular purchase he intended to make on this trip, he would be one step closer to exacting his revenge. He had been biding his time, luring the youngest Weasley into a false sense of security. He let her believe she was safe by restricting himself to a few heated words when they found themselves in the same corridor. If all went to plan, today wouldn’t be any different.

At some point during the two weeks, the girl in question had given up eyeballing him over mealtimes. Today, she was seated with her back to him. Draco had been keeping Blaise informed regularly on the plan. Blaise seemed to find it all quite funny, especially when he had to practically knock Draco off the bench to get him to peel his eyes off the redhead.

"Er, I uh--" Draco stammered, trying to regain his composure.

"I know what you were doing, mate," his lifelong friend grinned at him.

"Shut up. You're going nutters." Draco reached across the table and punched him hard, which only caused Blaise to laugh harder.  _ What's he on about? _ Draco thought irritably. Shaking his head, he finished his pumpkin juice.

Draco didn't see the girl in question again until just before Potions, while they all waited in the hallway for Professor Snape to arrive. He found that this made for some prime taunting time. There she was, talking to Scarhead.  _ What does she see in that oaf, anyway? 'Oh, I'm so famous-- oh, I've got a cool scar on my head!' Bullocks! He's tedious, and an idiot to boot. Not to mention, too famous for his own good. _

Draco strode over, intent on tormenting the pair.

"Haven’t you heard? Potter’s  _ old news _ \-- then again, I suppose if you’re accustomed to hand-me-downs, that shouldn’t bother you.” Draco smirked as he saw both their faces flush.

"Oh look Harry, he still thinks those old jokes about being poor are  _ funny _ ,” Weasley returned, turning to face him. "Sod off, Malfoy. I don't need any of your rubbish today."

"I’m not sure what’s more pathetic, you sniffing around anyone with a few Galleons to rub together, or the fact that doing so has made you the school tart!” Draco knew this was a bit of a stretch, but she  _ had _ at least dated a few boys in her time at Hogwarts.  _ Wait, why do you know that? _

"I beg your pardon? How about you just keep your gob shut about things that aren’t your business,” she said cooly, hands on her hips. Despite her stiff demeanor, her cheeks were still red.

"Aww, is the wittle Weasel too embawassed to talk about ickle smooches wif Hawwy Potty?” Draco taunted her with the babyish voice. Meanwhile, Potter had backed away. Though Draco knew Potter and his friends had taken to distancing themselves whenever they sensed a hallway throwdown coming on, he preferred to imagine that it was cowardice rather than smart thinking on their part.

Weasley gaped, flushing even redder, if that was possible. Draco smirked.  _ Enough for today, I think _ , he thought to himself. His timing couldn’t have been better, for no sooner had he turned back to rejoin his friends than Professor Snape arrived to let them in the classroom.

The two were usually evenly matched when it came to these spats. If one relented one day, they certainly won the next. It was simply how it went with the pair of them.  _ Thankfully,  _ Draco observed with some relief _ , we haven’t gone so far as to hex one another. _

Saturday morning arrived with little fanfare. Draco and Blaise had risen, readied themselves and been among the first to arrive in the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Right, now run it by me again. What is it that you're planning on doing?" Blaise asked over his plate of eggs and bacon.

"Do stop asking that as if I’ve told you anything of import, Blaise. For a Slytherin, you’re awful at this sort of thing. You’ll find out what I’m doing soon enough.” His friend had been attempting to wheedle the details out of him the past two weeks, and Draco was getting rather fed up with the whole thing.

"Oh, there she is." Blaise nodded toward the table, and Draco turned around just in time to see the Weaselette take her regular spot between Granger and Longbottom. He watched as she tossed her mass of red waves over one shoulder, then parted her lips in laughter before taking a sip from her goblet.

"Draco-- hello? You're smiling." Draco immediately turned to Blaise, who was waving a hand in front of his face. 

"I-- what?" Draco was confused.

"You were smiling," Blaise replied simply.

Draco put the back of his hand to his friend’s brow, as if to check for a fever. "You sure about that? You must be seeing things." Blaise just shook his head and laughed.

After breakfast, the two made their way to the carriages destined for Hogsmeade. To Draco’s dismay, they were joined by Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle. Pansy pressed herself up against Draco ( _ Merlin, help me _ ) thereby squishing him uncomfortably against Blaise. He’d thought to get up and sit with Crabbe and Goyle instead, but thought better after seeing how they  _ more _ than filled the seat opposite.  _ It’s fine, you just have to shake her somehow once we get there. _

The ride seemed to take longer than usual, but then Draco had never had so much reason to crave the freedom their arrival promised. Not only would he be free of the stuffy carriage (and with any luck, Pansy), but he also could finally shop around for something to put Weasley in her place. Blaise seemed to sense his friend’s reluctance to include Pansy in this venture, for he dragged her and the other two dunderheads off, leaving Draco to browse in peace.

_ First stop _ :  _ Honeydukes _ . Inside the candy store, he began perusing the shelves. A sweet would do the job nicely.  _ Hmm… Jelly slugs? Ugh. Ice mice?! I don't think so. Fudge flies... _

"Haven't they got something more… desirable?!" Draco hadn’t realized he’d said this last bit out loud, but a girl behind him turned from the shelves she was restocking.

"Shopping for your girlfriend?" She smiled brightly, her accent plainly Scottish.

"Hell n-- Er, sort of." He only just managed to keep his revulsion in check.  _ You want something that will  _ look _ sweet… until it bites your tongue out, or some such nonsense. _

The girl gave him a knowing look. "I understand." She hopped off the ladder and began poking about a nearby shelf. "How about some singing lollys? You just tell it what to sing, deliver it, and Bob’s your uncle! Much  _ sweeter _ than a love letter."

Draco practically gaped at her. "But I thought girls all _ liked _ that stuff!"

"Nah," she waved the idea aside. "Only the ones with feathers for brains, and by the looks of it, you aren't one for that sort of girl!"

On the contrary, Draco knew he was. He knew that all he had to do was find a good looking girl, send her a schmaltzy love poem, and she’d be kissing his feet by breakfast the next morning.

"No, I don't think the er,  _ lollys  _ will do. She's not exactly one for that kind of thing."

Again, the shopgirl smiled. "Aye, I got you. The truly romantic type, eh?"

"Er, yes. I suppose you don't have anything more-- well,  _ traditional _ ?" Draco raised his eyebrows.

She laughed. "We may sell the odds and ends when it comes to sweets, but we also know the basics!" Leading him over to another shelf, she threw her arms out with a pronounced exclamation of "Chocolate!"

_ Perfect _ , Draco thought to himself.  _ Large enough for it,  _ and _ it's something one could expect from a 'secret admirer'. _

"Thank you," he said to the girl, giving her one of his rare true smiles.

"Any time!" She grinned back at him, before returning her restocking.

After selecting and paying for a box of chocolates, Draco stepped out into the street to search for Blaise. Presently, he spied his friend in Zonko's.  _ Hmm,  _ Draco thought as an idea came to him.  _ Perhaps there's something more I can do... _

Entering the shop, he worked his way towards where Blaise stood, thankfully devoid of unwanted company. Draco scanned the shelves as he went. He wasn’t really much of one for practical jokes, but supposed he could find some use in a package of Dungbombs and a box of Wet-Start Fireworks. By the time he reached Blaise, he felt satisfied in his choices.

"Hey, get what you needed?"

"Yeah. You find anything you like?" Draco glanced at the shelves around them.

"I sure hope you're not talking about Pansy," Blaise grinned, nodding his head toward where the painfully inept girl was flirting with a Ravenclaw several aisles away. "You really owe me one. It took forever for her to shut up about not being with you."

"Merlin, what did I do to deserve her?"

"Ha. She's mental, she is. Though you almost can't help feeling sorry for her… Come on, I'm on a mission to get some Nose-Biting Teacups." Draco raised an eyebrow before following him up to the checkout counter. Spotting a small stand of perfumes by the door, he walked over. He picked one up and smirked, before adding it to his small pile of purchases on the counter.

Back in the boy’s dormitory later that day, Draco was sprawled on his bed. His Hogsmeade purchases lay out on his desk. He was halfway through his assigned reading for Charms when Blaise entered the room.

"Where've you been?" Draco questioned, only half caring.

"Ah, the usual." Blaise’s reply was uncharacteristically _not_ forthcoming. Draco raised his eyebrows, but said nothing.

Blaise walked over to his friend's desk, settling his hip casually against the edge. "Chocolates? And I thought you didn't like this girl!"

Draco didn’t bother to look up. "Don't be obtuse, it doesn’t suit you. They've got Babbling Beverage inside, mixed in the cream.”

"Oh, so you're going to have her babble her love for Potter?"

"No, you git," Setting aside his reading, Draco half-heartedly threw a pillow at Blaise, who caught it easily. "I'm hoping to get some sort of information from it."

"Ahh." Blaise noticed the bottle of perfume and picked it up, sniffing it. "Bloody hell! What girl are you giving this to? If you're aiming for Weasley, good luck getting her to wear it, mate. It smells horrid!"

Draco sighed.  _ Really, for being one of my only friends, he can be quite the idiot!  _ "Read the tag, genius."

Moments later, Blaise looked up. A wide grin split his face. "Oh, now  _ this  _ I like. You're telling me that if she wears this," he held up the bottle, "she's going to think she smells like lilacs, when in reality she’ll smell like dragon dung?"

Draco smirked. "Perfect, eh? It doesn't come off when you wash it, either. Won't wear off for a month, and that’s assuming you only use it the one time. Ingenious. Even better than the chocolates."

"Draco, you're an evil one, mate." Blaise threw the pillow back at Draco, who promptly stuffed it behind him and resumed his studying.


	9. Backfired

Ginny had begun to wonder when (if ever) she'd be able to get back at Malfoy. It seemed to her that he had given up.  _ No Ginny, you should know by now that Malfoys don’t just give up. There's got to be something else… but what?  _ Unsure of what to do but unwilling to relax completely, she had settled into an uneasy routine of classes, patrolling, and always,  _ always _ being alert to any possible action on his part.

Despite her wariness, she had not noticed the gray eyes trained on her all throughout lunch on Sunday. For that matter, she hadn't noticed it _ any _ of the times that he had been watching her. Her trip to Hogsmeade was rather uneventful, and consisted of her walking around Zonko's with Luca and Luna, laughing at whatever the newest prank was. She had actually bought one of the fake Snitches, already plotting out ideas in her head. It flew where the user wanted, and ONLY where the user wanted, making it quite the elusive Snitch.

One thing that caught her eye was on a stand by the door.

Monday morning, Ginny found it hard to get out of bed.  _ That is the last time I'm staying up until four in the morning to play Exploding Snap! _ She thought, cursing herself for her stupidity. Staggering to the showers, the still-frigid water helped to wake her up.  _ Brr! Merlin’s balls, it’s cold. Oh what I’d give for a nice, hot-- oh. Oh my…  _ With that, she was struck by yet another scheme to bring Malfoy down a peg or two.

Ginny yawned as she plopped herself down at the Gryffindor table for breakfast half an hour later. She’d arrived just in time to see the owls swooping in. Eyes trained on the birds, she searched for the familiar one that just might be carrying a letter from her mum. It didn’t take her long to spot Errol, as he was being jostled and bumped by all the other owls. Finally, looking rather pitiful, he found her and fell into the nearby dish of gravy.

"Ginny!" Dean whinged, "Your owl's bunged up the gravy!"

She shot him daggers. "Oh lay off, it wasn't even that good anyway," Ginny groused, before turning her attention to the owl and, more importantly, the letter.

"Ginny! That was made by house elves! Very hard working ones, mind you. See, this is the whole point of S.P.E..." Seeing the look on Ginny's face, Hermione immediately shut her mouth.

_ Now, _ Ginny thought as she reached toward the owl's leg,  _ the letter _ . She jerked her hand back as another package fell between her and Errol, who fluttered, ruffling his already rumpled wings.

"Bloody hell! Does no one want me to open my damn letter?" When the heaviness of a hall that had gone completely silent and motionless within an instant pressed itself upon her awareness, she realized she’d said that last bit aloud. Glancing around, she saw that everyone’s attention was on her. She groaned, snatched up the package and tore into it somewhat savagely. When she saw what was inside, her hands stilled.

"Wow Ginny, somebody's given you chocolates! And look, it's dark chocolate  _ and _ cream filled. Whoever it is must know that’s your favorite!" Luca exclaimed. Glancing up at her friend, she saw Ginny was just staring at the box in bewilderment.  _ Who could it be from? Why would someone send me chocolate?  _ With dawning comprehension, she recalled the twenty or so boys (and one girl) who asked her out over the past two weeks.

"Wh-who's it from?" she asked blankly, turning to Luca. Ginny’s eyes were wide and unblinking

"Well gee, how about you pull yourself together, stop making a fuss about it, and open that note!” Ginny glanced down and saw a rolled up length of parchment tied to the box. Smoothing it flat, she noted that the handwriting was smooth and loopy. Then, she began to read.

Moments later, Ginny was in hysterics. Luca, who had momentarily returned to her conversation with Seamus, turned back to stare at her.

"Oh Merlin… Luca… you have… to read… this!” Ginny could hardly get the words out.

“Okay-- ‘ _ Your lips are as plump as peaches, Your eyes as bright as fire,’ _ ” Luca began, her eyebrows rising quickly. “ _ ‘Your smile more than teaches, That you are my heart’s desire’ _ \-- what is this rubbish?!” she crowed delightedly.

"Oh it  _ is _ awful, isn’t it?” Ginny gasped as her giggles finally subsided.

"Alright, so what about that?" Luca inclined her head towards a smaller package that Ginny hadn't noticed.

"Oh, poor sod really shouldn’t have. I don’t care how good those chocolates are, after a poem like that…” she said, trailing off as she pulled the wrappings from the little parcel. She shook her head in disbelief.

"Bloody git," she muttered.

"What is it?" Luca's brows furrowed.

"Look at this!" Ginny thrust the bottle under her nose.

"Er, looks like perfume to me..."

"Exactly. It  _ looks _ like perfume, but it's not. Bloody git," she said again, shaking her head.

"It's that stuff from Zonko's, isn't it!" her friend suddenly exclaimed, eyes growing wide with recognition.

"Yeah. Hey, can you look for Malfoy? Just don't let him catch you looking."

Luca nodded and stretched, using the motion to casually scan the tables behind her. Turning to face forward again, she leaned in towards Ginny. "He's looking at you."

"Oh Luca, I have a secret  _ admirer _ !" Ginny gushed to her friend, loud enough for her voice to carry to the Slytherin table. She scooted closer to Luca, surreptitiously palming a piece of chocolate from the dessert platter infront of her. Ginny made a show of opening the box of chocolates and pretending to select one to try. Angling herself in such a way that Malfoy would be sure to see, she popped the chocolate from the dessert platter into her mouth.

"Mmmm, this is so  _ good _ ,” she moaned. “So sweet,” she added loudly. 

Ducking her head to peer at the Slytherin’s, Luca turned to Ginny with a triumphant grin. “He’s bought it.”

Outside Professor Snape's classroom, Ginny waited for her not-so-secret ‘admirer’ to approach her. She did not have to wait long.

"Did my eyes deceive me, or did someone actually take pity on you and send you a love letter this morning?" Draco’s tone was incredulous.

For her part, Ginny let the snide skepticism in his question roll off her back completely. After all, she had a feeling today was going to be a very,  _ very  _ good day. Glancing around, she saw all the seventh year Gryffindors and Slytherins had arrived.  _ Well, the whole school would've been better, but this'll have to do. They'll find out soon enough, anyway. _

"Hello,  _ darling _ ," she greeted, voice saccharine sweet as she pulled the bottle out from her robe pocket. "I didn't know dragon dung was such a turn on to you. You should have said something," she said, her face a moue of faux-disappointment. Holding up the bottle, she relished the fear in Malfoy’s eyes. In one deft move, she doused him with the scent.

Malfoy’s face contorted with rage. It seemed he had lost all ability to speak.

"Whoops," she said. "My finger slipped. Perhaps you could try a shower?"

Smirking, she pushed past him and entered the classroom..

To think, he had provided her with all the revenge she needed. This was no longer going to be a fair game, politely taking turns. This was war.


	10. Mysterious Flyer

Draco was positively  _ seething _ by the end of the week. His plan had backfired so badly. It also hadn’t taken him long to deduce that the chocolate she’d eaten at breakfast wasn't one of his. Not only was she  _ not  _ babbling, but she hadn't so much as  _ looked  _ at him since the perfume incident. It had been five days since, and Draco had no intentions of engaging with her again any time soon.

The only solace that he could find in the horrible perfume was that even Pansy kept her distance. In typical ‘best mate’ form, Blaise made a point of exaggeratedly plugging his nose each time he entered their shared dorm room. Draco soon realized that the scent was magnified when he put cologne on, so there was no masking the horrible smell. Even his teachers visibly struggled not to gag when up close to him. He suspected it was only because of who his father was that they did not cast a Bubble-Head Charm and save themselves the trouble. One could easily smell when Draco Malfoy entered a room, even one as vast as the Great Hall.

_ How dare she!?  _ Draco fumed, not for the first time.  _ Now nobody will come near me! There goes my chances with Turpin, right down the bloody drain. That wench is going to get it. She is going to get it back so hard. She's going to regret the day she tripped over me. She bloody well will regret it. _

Draco was pacing his room furiously Saturday night, thinking about ways to get back at her. Blaise lay on his side, grinning as he watched his friend lose it right before his very eyes.

"Mate, you're obsessed."

"No, I'm not." Draco tried to block him out.

"Yeah, you are. Obsessed. You're nutters over her."

"I just need to get even."

"Why?" Blaise was being horridly aggravating.

"What do you think will happen if she makes the last move? If I don't retaliate?" Draco was incredibly tense as he snapped at Blaise, so much so that he stopped his pacing.

"Let me guess. You're a Malfoy, so of course you can't let a pretty girl like her make the last move. You have to have the last word."

"I'll be a coward. Laughed at. Ridiculed. Scorned. I  _ can not lose! _ " Draco was somewhat taken aback at his words. He found himself breathing heavily. The degree to which this had consumed him -- not to mention how quickly it had done so -- overwhelmed him slightly.

Sunday found Draco as tense (and smelly) as ever. During breakfast, he accidentally knocked his glass of pumpkin juice over, spilling the sticky substance all over his robes. Draco decided to spend his morning outside, reading.

The grounds were pleasantly empty, the blustery fall weather being what it was. 

Draco loved it. He loved the clouds that hinted strongly of oncoming rain. He loved the staunch breeze that blew in off the lake. He loved the sound of the waves splashing against the small slope of rocks. He loved the sound of the trees, their leaves rustling in the wind.

Draco found a comfortable-looking spot at the base of a tree by the lake. Seating himself, he pulled out his book and began to read.

All was quiet for the first ten minutes or so, but then his focus was broken by the faint sound of laughter, carried to his ears by the wind. Peering around for the source, he spied one possibility. His little corner of the lake was not far from the Quidditch pitch, above which flew a solitary figure. When the next laugh coincided with what he imagined to be a particularly exhilarating loop through the air, Draco knew his suspicions were confirmed. Amused, he set his book down and began watching the figure. Whoever it was, their flying was superb. As he watched, the flyer took a sudden dive, hurtling towards the ground. His view was impeded by the tall stands behind which the mysterious figure disappeared, lingering for long enough to make Draco wonder if perhaps they had crashed. Just as he decided to get up and investigate, however, a streak shot up towards the cloudy sky. The flyer sped higher and higher, stopping well above the pitch before executing a handful of complicated and tricky maneuvering patterns.

_ Well color me impressed! Blimey, I hope they’re in Slytherin. We could use that skill on the team,  _ Draco thought in open admiration. It wasn’t often that one saw that much talent in a Hogwarts student.

Checking his watch, he determined he still had some time before lunch before setting out towards the pitch. He heard the laughter once again, and couldn’t help but grin. Whoever it was looked like they were having fun, a kind of fun he was familiar with and could relate to. As he neared, he was able to get a better view. Whoever it was had a lean figure and was probably female, judging by the lithe moves and lilting edge to the laugh. She was still too high up for him to make out any identifying details, such as house color or even hair color. She turned back towards his end of the pitch and came to a sudden halt, her laughter cutting off just as abruptly. After a beat, she turned around and shot off towards the other end of the pitch, swooping down out of sight again.

Draco stared after her, puzzled.  _ I wonder what that was all about. She didn't see me, did she? _

Recognizing that he would be unable to focus on his book, and finally feeling somewhat chilled by the breeze, he spent the rest of his morning meandering the castle.

After dinner, Draco began to make his Head Boy rounds. Glancing at his assignment sheet, he noted that Weasley was scheduled for Prefect duty that night.  _ Well then, let's see if we can't find the little Weasel and have some fun. _

Draco began his patrol, encounting nothing but deserted corridors for the first half hour. Having completed two floors, he had proceeded to the next and was about to turn a corner when he heard voices.

"...Hey, come on. I know I’ve been an idiot, not seeing you sooner. Just -- please, give me a chance!" Potter’s voice was easily recognizable.

"Look, I'm sorry Harry. I can't."

The next thing Draco knew, a streak of red flew around the corner and crashed hard into him.

"Oof! Get off me, Weasley!" Draco bit his tongue the moment the words left his mouth.

“Sorry,” she muttered as she picked herself up and ran past him, either oblivious or uncaring of whom she’d bowled over.

_ Bloody hell, woman! _ He scrambled to his feet, looking around the corner to see if Potter was still there. He wasn’t. Draco was disappointed -- he’d have liked the opportunity to dock some points. Uncomfortably, he realized that wasn’t all he was feeling. In that moment, he found that he felt something for Weasley… sympathy?


	11. Ginny's Side of Things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2006 - Wow, the deci-chapter come and gone, and here we are with chapter eleven! It's only been what, three days? I'm quite proud, if I do say so myself. I realize there are some unanswered questions from the previous chapter -- things like, "Who is the mysterious flyer?" and "What was going on with Harry and Ginny?" Well, I admit, THAT one was rather obvious, but the other one… muahahaha! Thischapterisdedicatedtomydearlyboychallengedfriend'Luca'.
> 
> Moving on to the disclaimer: Put the pens and autograph pads away; I am not the goddess people know and love as J.K. Rowling, merely a twitty little fangirl obsessed with Draco Malfoy. lol
> 
> (Quite possibly the longest disclaimer I've ever done..)

The week following the perfume incident had been rather marvelous for Ginny, all things considered. She soon found out what was in the chocolates, and it was all thanks to Neville, who had the misfortune of sampling one when he came across the box in the common room one evening.  _ Poor guy, _ Ginny had thought at the time.  _ Won't stop talking about his Gran and Uncle Algie…  _

Ginny and Luca were by the window in the common room Saturday afternoon, discussing the upcoming Quidditch tryouts.

"I really want to see if there's anything I can do in the sport!" Luca declared in earnest.

"So why not try out?" Ginny asked, only mildly surprised at her friend’s fervor for the subject.

"Honestly? I don't want to risk making a fool of myself,” Luca explained with a small shrug. “It's been forever since I've been on a broomstick. I’d need some practice first."

Ginny grinned.  _ Now  _ this _ is my area of expertise,  _ she thought. "Don't worry. Meet me at the Quidditch pitch tomorrow after breakfast, okay? We'll see what you can do."

Luca smiled at her friend. 

"Hey," Ginny's eyes perked up. "Do you want to play Exploding Snap with Ron and the lot?"

Luca glanced over at the trio, who were sitting by the fireplace laughing together. “Sure, why not?”

Soon the cheery bunch of five had almost doubled in size, until the whole of the common room was participating in the game.

The next day, Ginny woke up early. Staggering bleary-eyed to the window, she peered out at the grounds. Though the sun could be seen peeking over the edge of the horizon, the sky was cloudy and hinted at rain.  _ Oh lovely, _ she thought without a trace of sarcasm.  _ My favorite weather for flying! Come to think of it, a little rain would be just the thing to put Luca through her paces…  _ Glancing over at Luca's sleeping figure, she idly wondered how she'd do. Despite Ginny’s avid participation in the sport at school, she hadn’t actually seen her friend do any flying outside of class with Madam Hooch. All traces of her earlier sleepiness disappeared as with an evil grin, she tiptoed over to her sleeping friend's bed. Carefully, she mounted the foot of the bed. With a great holler, she began bouncing mercilessly, until all the girls in the room were awake. The situation escalated quickly, with girls giggling madly as they beat one another with pillows.

This was how Professor McGonagall found them several minutes later, having been called upon no doubt by one of the other years. Her deeply accented request that they  _ please _ try to control themselves was met with stifled giggles and a breathy “Sorry, Professor” or two. As soon as she was gone, they all made a mad dash to the bathroom for showers.

Luca and Ginny left the Great Hall early, heading first to the broom shed, then out to the pitch. 

"Right, so it might get a bit wet up there. Think you’ll be alright?" Ginny asked.

Glancing up at the sky, Luca nodded. "Wouldn’t have great odds for making the team if I wasn’t, would I?"

Together, the two mounted their brooms. They started with laps around the field, sticking to a reasonably low altitude. Soon however, Luca became more sure of herself and pulled her broom higher. Her face hid nothing, and Ginny could easily recognize the pleasure Luca felt at the wind whipping through her hair, and the icy sting it left on her cheeks.  _ Blimey, _ Ginny smiled to herself.  _ She's a natural! _ She watched Luca perform a couple of loops in the air.  _ Why am I only seeing this side of her now? _

Ginny's mouth dropped open as Luca took a sudden dive.  _ Shite, that girl better know what she’s doing! _ Luca’s earthward trajectory had her coming right towards Ginny. Just as she was about to hit her mildly panic-stricken friend, she pulled up. Sighing with relief, Ginny let out a small chuckle before shooting off after Luca. The girls raced one around the pitch for a few laps, before Ginny pulled up to resume her role as observer.

Ginny watched her friend show off in the air, no longer doubting her ability to make the team. Just when she was about to call her to come back down, Luca stopped. Ginny tried to follow her gaze, but the stands blocked her view. Luca turned abruptly and sped towards Ginny.

“That’s it for now folks, Head Boy headed this way," Luca said by way of explanation.

"Stupid git, he’s prbably heading over to tell us off." Rolling her eyes, Ginny tailed Luca to the broom shed, where they locked their brooms up before heading back to the castle.

During her patrol that night, she ran into Harry.

"Hiya Harry," she greeted, her voice friendly -- but not  _ too _ much so. “You don’t need me saying so, but it  _ is _ past curfew.”

"Hey, Ginny! I'm so glad I found you. Look, we need to talk," he said, taking her by the arm and guiding her somewhat forcefully to the side of the corridor. 

Though she found his behavior strange ( _ It’s not like there’s anyone else in this particular hallway _ ), she bit back the reprimand that sprung to mind.

"Uh, okay, what's up?" she asked instead.

"I, er, I was wondering if you'd like to go to Hogsmeade with me the next trip?" He looked somewhat nervous.

Ginny eyed him speculatively. The feelings this invitation brought forth were not ones of excitement or butterflies. In fact, she found the idea left her feeling rather… lumpy.

"Oh, gosh,” she said, not entirely sure how to begin. Truth be told, not only had she ceased imagining this moment long ago, but she’d also given no consideration to the possibility that such an offer would be made once she’d decided she was no longer interested. “Harry, I'm sorry. A couple years ago, maybe even last year, I would've been jumping for joy if you asked me that. The thing is, it’s different now--”

Harry didn't give her a chance to finish. "Gin,  _ Ginny _ , hey, come on. I know I’ve been an idiot, not seeing you sooner. Just -- please, give me a chance!” His eyes were pleading, but his grip on her arm had grown uncomfortable.

_ No means no, even for you -- now let me go before you regret it…  _ Again, Ginny held her tongue. She started to pull away, but Harry must have misinterpreted her shifting for he stepped even closer. One hand came up to cup the back of her head, as if to pull her into a kiss. Recoiling, Ginny jerked her arm out of his grasp.

"Look, I'm sorry Harry. I can't." Unwilling to allow herself to feel guilty for the pained look on his face, she bolted.  _ Don’t touch me don’t touch me don’t touch me, _ cycled through her mind on repeat. Rounding the corner at the end of the corridor, she slammed into a hard body. She barely heard the harsh voice. Muttering her apology, she picked herself up and dashed off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: 2020 - Those who read the original version (on the other site) all those years ago might note a definite change in tone, regarding the interaction at the end of this chapter. I guess that’s what you get when a 27 year old decides to revise a 13 year old’s take on a 16 year old’s mind… especially one who in the intervening years has been subject to unwanted advances from ‘gentlemen’ who really can’t take a hint. Or a “No, thank you, I’m not interested.”
> 
> Ahem. I digress.
> 
> 2006 - Well, there you have it, chapter eleven! Oh, and HA! I'll bet you wouldn't have guessed that it was NOT Ginny's flying that intrigued Draco (SWOON) It was in fact her dear friend LUCA! Muahahahahahahaha! Don't blame me, blame FreakyHOTGeek..lol (Sorry for pushing the blame onto you, dear)
> 
> Reviews, please, because I lurve them so!


	12. The Ingredients

Uncertain what to do with the knowledge of what he’d witnessed, and unwilling to explore the unfamiliar feelings it had elicited, Draco fell back into comfortable territory. His past two plots had met with resounding failure, and it seemed only reasonable that he seek to redeem himself now. Thinking hard, he formulated what he considered to be a fool-proof plan. The first step was to come up with replacement potions. Professor Snape had warned them Friday that the next week they would begin working on the Draught of Living Death. Draco spent the remainder of his weekend familiarizing himself with the ingredients, and devising strategies to sour Weasley’s without poisoning the entire classroom.

On Monday, Professor Snape announced that they would concoct the Draught that Wednesday.  _ That just leaves tomorrow to do the swap then _ , Draco thought to himself. One element he’d not yet worked out was how to get the girl away from her bag long enough to switch the ingredients. By the end of class on Tuesday, he was all out of ideas. Lucky for him, while a few students were still tidying up, the Potions master called the girl in question up to the front of the room, where he spoke to her in low tones. With one eye out for movement of her flame of red hair, he silently levitated the contaminated ingredients behind Finnigan, Longbottom, and Thomas, into her bag. Just as stealthily, he summoned her ingredients to him before vanishing them once he was sure he’d accounted for everything. Finished, he gathered his own belongings and hurried from the room.

Draco didn't relax until he was out in the Entrance Hall. There, he breathed a sigh of relief.  _ Not too shabby, eh? _

He didn’t realize his mistake until class the next day, when Granger began pulling her own ingredients out. _You’ve got to be joking. They're going to use the mudblood's ingredients?_ _Well, we'll just have to fix that, won't we?_ Under the pretense of getting a closer look at the board, Draco took a few steps down the aisle, purposefully walking close enough to their table to knock the ingredient bottles off. They smashed on the flagstones, the contents now contaminated beyond use.

"Oh,  _ sorry _ ,” he said, not sounding the least bit sorry at all. He allowed himself a small smirk at the older girl’s furious expression. His smirk turned into a delighted smile as she tried to hold the littlest Weasel back from attacking him. 

"Come on, he's just being a prat. Ignore it," he heard her say to the angry red head. Draco put up his hands in mock defense and backed towards his own table, where a grinning Blaise was dicing wormwood.

Throughout the lesson, Draco looked over at the girls' table. They seemed to be getting more and more frustrated, as their potion became less and less the right concoction. Finally, when they added the last ingredient, it exploded in their face, causing boils to spring forth.

"You put bubotuber pus on the valerian roots?!" Blaise looked rather shocked.

Draco merely shrugged. "She sprayed me with dragon dung."

"Yeah, but mate! You were trying to trick  _ her  _ into putting that stuff on!" Blaise reasoned.

Shrugging again, Draco just said, "So? It backfired. This is just retribution."

From what Draco heard, their stay in the Hospital Wing was going to be a long one. Unsurprisingly, both girls received zeros on the assignment. Draco reasoned that Weasley must have figured out by now that she had him to thank for these things. Blaise suggested once that perhaps Draco had gone a bit too far, but otherwise kept his opinions to himself. Rather than be put out by Blaise’s lack of support in the tactic, Draco decided that he had quite enjoyed the whole spectacle.

Much to his chagrin however, Draco’s conscience decided to make an appearance on Friday. It was the day of Gryffindor’s Quidditch tryouts, and he’d just heard that both girls were still in the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey had no intention of letting them go, at least not until the next day. Draco knew that if Weasley didn’t show, there’d be no way for her to make the team. Professor Umbridge had disbanded all teams the previous year, and even though she was no longer on the Hogwarts staff, no official move had been made to redact her order in the interim. All teams were reforming via these tryouts. It was this that led Draco to pay a visit to the Hospital Wing.

“I’m here to see Weas-- er, Ginny Weasley,” he said when questioned by Madam Pomfrey.

The matron pursed her lips, but led him over to the bed nonetheless. Draco decided he was glad to see that Granger was sleeping.

"What do you want?" Weasley spat the words at him. Draco took note of the fact that there weren't boils on either girl anymore.  _ Shame,  _ he thought. _ Such a good trick. Should've lasted longer... _

"I hear Gryffindor's having their tryouts today. It’s really too bad you can't make it," Draco opened casually. Judging by the stricken look on her face, Weasley had forgotten all about it. Her face contorted with rage.

"You bloody git!” She brought her fist down on the bed in a single punch. “You did that on purpose! Now I won't be able to be on the team anymore!" Her voice broke off in an oddly strangled way.

_ Hang on, is she about to cry? _ He felt a pang of guilt. Somehow, seeing this vulnerability didn’t give him the sense of satisfaction he’d thought it would. He sighed.

"To be honest, no. I didn't." For once, his voice was clear of any malice as he seated himself in the chair next to her bed.

"Yeah, I'll bet you didn't," she muttered, glaring out the window on her other side as if determined not to look at him. Draco got up to leave, but turned back.

"Really, it’s a pity that you aren't going to be on the team." At this, Weasley glanced up at him, confusion evident in her eyes. For a moment, Draco found himself unable to say anything. He was simply caught in the moment, the sensation of being observed by this particular girl with anything other than hostility or derisive amusement. Then, it passed and he turned again to leave. At the door, he called back to her. “Gryffindor needs talent like yours."


	13. Ginny's Mystery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2006 - Well, internet sooner than I thought! Thanks so much for the lovely reviews! I feel quite loved! And I'm very glad that people are liking this… I was worried that it would suck, being my first fanfic. I'm working hard, trying to balance the pace -- don't want to upset the story at all. Anyway, here's 13!
> 
> Disclaimer: Oh, yes, I'm having an identity crisis. I am sooo J. K. Rowling...

Ginny groaned and dropped back on the hospital bed, her anger and frustration only somewhat tempered by her confusion. After Malfoy’s departure, Ginny had scrambled out of her bed. She’d gathered up her belongings and made for the door, only to find her way blocked by Madam Pomfrey. No amount of begging, cajoling, and attempts to prove her good health could convince the woman to let her pass. Instead, she ordered Ginny back to bed, threatening the use of a mild sedative if she did not comply on her own.

After what a nightmare the previous year had been, Ginny had really been looking forward to getting to play on the Quidditch team this year.  _ What was that ‘talent like mine’ bit all about anyway? I can hardly believe he really meant to  _ compliment  _ me…  _ Ginny rubbed her head, blinking back tears.  _ It doesn’t matter, anyway -- I can’t very well make the team when I’m stuck in here. _

“He is such a  _ prick _ !" Ginny blurted out, unable to suppress the sentiment. No reply came to her from the nearly empty room. With that, she rolled over and did something very unlike herself -- she cried herself to sleep.

When Ginny and Hermione returned to the Gryffindor common room the next day, Ron and Harry rushed over to bombard them with questions.

"Yes, Ron, I'm fine," Ginny sighed rather dejectedly.

"You sure you’re alright sis? I figured what with making the team and all, you’d be over the moon!” Ron drew back to study her in his brotherly way. Ginny gaped at him.

"I-- what?" She couldn’t have heard him right. She hadn’t been anywhere near the tryouts yesterday.

"Yeah! Blimey, Gin, you were awesome," Harry gushed. "You scored almost every goal!"

Ginny turned away from the pair of them, taking a few steps. She pressed her hand to her abdomen and found that she was breathless.  _ How could this have happened? I didn't go, I wasn’t there -- there's just no way! _

"I-- I have to go. I'll catch up with you guys at lunch, okay?" Without waiting for a reply, Ginny turned and left the common room.

No destination in mind, she walked in a daze. She soon found herself in the library and sat down at a table in the back, mind still churning with the same thoughts.  _ How could I have made the team? I didn't even go! _

Ginny didn’t realize she had company until the chair across her was pulled out with a dull scrape. She found herself facing Luca and Luna.

"I thought you'd be here," Luna said in her floaty voice. Luca shot her a glance that told Ginny that perhaps they had argued about where to look. Ginny smiled to herself a bit.

"This is so weird you guys, Harry and Ron are saying I made the team but I was in the Hospital Wing the whole time -- and it’s not just that they made a special exception for me. Harry said I scored goals! What happened yesterday? I wasn’t there!”

"But Gin, you  _ were _ there. You were with me," Luca insisted. "We both made Chaser. You sure you’re okay? You sure that potion didn’t cause some sort of lasting damage? Maybe to your brain?” Luca put a hand to Ginny’s forehead as if to feel for a temperature.

Ginny swatted her hand away with a somewhat cross "I'm fine."

"Okay. Well then, if you're sure, Luna and I were going to go hunt down Hermione and the boys. You wanna come?" The pair stood up.

"Er, no, thanks. I'll stay here a bit." Ginny smiled weakly.

"If you're sure, then." Luna gave a wave as the two walked out. 

Ginny sighed and sank back in her seat, only to jump to her feet when a familiar voice spoke from behind her.

"Yes, that was wonderful flying out there. How many goals was it? Fourteen? Yes, Gryffindor could use talent like that."


	14. Draco's Potion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2006 - Answers to the last chapter’s questions are here! Please bear with me if everything isn't exactly as it would be in the books… I realize some things would take longer to get done, and that even in Harry Potter's book it would be physically impossible to prepare a-- er, well, just read the chapter for yourself.
> 
> Disclaimer: Believe it or not, J.K. Rowling is NOT the only brilliant minded woman on this planet.

Draco didn't really know why he’d done what he had, but the fact remained that he had. No matter how much he tried to reason with himself, the excuses seemed sketchy at best.  _ Come on, you know you'd feel guilty if you hadn't. You'd know it was your fault. And besides, Gryffindor really does need her. It makes the games more interesting! _

The first step had been stealing a pre-made vial of the necessary brew from his godfather’s office. The second step had been to procure the proper attire, something easily accomplished by one of the house elves that serviced the Slytherin quarters. The third step had necessitated Draco’s visit to the Hospital Wing. He still couldn’t believe he’d managed to get close enough to swipe a strand of hair from her pillow, let alone without her noticing.

Draco had indeed meant it when he said that Gryffindor needed her talent. As much as it pained him to admit it, she really was a skilled flyer. He just hoped nobody would suspect...

With only several minutes left before the youngest Weasley would be due on the pitch, Draco holed up in the prefects’ bathroom. He pulled the single strand of bright crimson from his pocket and added it to the contraband phial he’d stolen earlier. The brew turned a coppery color, decidedly more appealing than others he’d seen but unnerving nonetheless. Grimacing, he took a sip. Almost immediately he felt the effects of the Polyjuice potion. His body shrunk, the proportions shifting. His scalp tingled as his hair grew rapidly, tickling his chin on its way to his shoulder and beyond. In the mirror, it was Ginny Weasley’s face that looked back at him. Devoid of expression, he allowed himself to study her features up close. He had to admit, she had good genes. A fine, petite nose with a dusting of freckles. Jewel-bright eyes, as befitted a powerful witch. Now that they weren’t frowning or sneering or taunting, he could appreciate the fullness and yes, softness of her lips. It suddenly struck him that here in the privacy of the otherwise empty bathroom, there was nothing to stop him from examining further. _ Absolutely not, _ he thought firmly. His mother had raised him better than  _ that _ , at least.  _ It’s no wonder they keep this stuff under lock and key though, it’s downright violating!  _

With his back to the mirror and his eyes resolutely fixed on the far wall, Draco quickly shed his own Slytherin robes and donned the smaller Gryffindor Quidditch set.  _ She so owes me. Merlin, I’m becoming a downright gentleman for her! _

At the broom shed, Draco started to reach for his own Nimbus 2001, but paused when a girl called out to him.

"What're you doing? You do know that's the git's broom, right?"

"Huh? Oh, er..." He glanced down at his outstretched hand.  _ Be nice, that's her friend. Act like Ginny. Oh, bloody hell. This is going to be the death of me…  _ Clearing his throat, he spoke, somewhat surprised to hear a crisp feminine voice rather than his own languid one. "I was just, ah, admiring it. It must be really fast." He forced what he hoped looked like a genuine smile.  _ Oh, the shame. Save me. _

The girl sighed, thrusting a Cleansweep at him. "Come on, before someone actually hears you and deems you unfit to try out." Draco took the proffered broom, delighted at this stroke of luck.

"Come on, you two! Tryouts have begun!" It was  _ Ronald _ Weasley.  _ I really can’t just keep calling them all the same thing, can I?  _ Gritting his teeth, Draco plastered the same smile on his borrowed face.

He and the girl hovered together off to the side, awaiting their turn.

“Alright Luca, you’re up!” The girl next to him flew off. With some distance between them, he realized there was something familiar about her flying style.  _ So that's who it was the other day… Luca, huh? I'll have to remember that one. _ He watched the rest of her tryout, sure by the end of it that she’d make the team.

"Ginny Weasley."

_ Really, if she plays half so well during the actual matches, we might be in trouble,  _ Draco mused idly.

"GINNY WEASLEY! GET OUT HERE!" 

_ Oh, shite, that’s me…  _ Kicking himself mentally, he shot out to join the others.

"Right, Ginny, you know the drill. Get the Quaffle through the hoops as many times as you can, avoiding whatever the ‘other team’ throws at you." Draco nodded, grabbing the Quaffle from the girl in front of him. Swerving right and left and then right again, he pulled up in front of the hoops, feinted to the right and neatly scored.  _ So far, so good,  _ Draco thought. He was hard pressed not to show off  _ too _ much, and was reluctant to stop when the whistle blew, signaling the end of his -- no,  _ Ginny’s _ \-- tryout.

The players were asked to stick around for a few minutes while Potter looked over the scores. Draco stood with Luca the whole time.

"Nicely done, you seemed extra peppy today. I thought you were in the Hospital Wing, anyway?"

"Oh, er, Madam Pomfrey let me out for this," Draco answered her quickly before fixing his gaze on Potter. Finally, the git looked up and headed over..

"Right, I'm posting this in the changing rooms. Congratulations to those of you who made it, and to those who didn’t -- it was a tough call, we hope to see you here for next year’s tryouts."

Draco hung back as the group made their way to the tent, following at a distance. He found that he genuinely hoped that she’d make the team. Upon reaching the tent, he let out a breath and lifted the flap. Inside was a cacophony of ecstatic squeals and disappointed groans, but Draco pushed past it all to the wall where the list was hung. Scanning the handful of names quickly, he smirked.  _ Yep, she owes me. _ He refused to dwell too heavily on the fact that it should have been her flying today, and that he was responsible for her absence. In truth, he was enjoying the sensation that this good deed had left him with, and he didn’t want to spoil it by examining things  _ too _ closely.

Suddenly, he felt a prickling sensation, and realized that his perspective on the room was changing -- he was growing taller.  _ Time’s up,  _ he thought. Hastily, he skirted the edge of the tent to avoid the mass of hands clapping shoulders. It was a mad dash back to the castle, and even then his own short, blond hair had returned by the time he made it to the prefects’ bathroom. 

The next day, Draco had been in search of a book he needed for Charms when he saw the very girl in question arrive and find a seat, looking perplexed and… distressed? He observed her quietly from between two shelves, moving closer when she was joined by the odd Lovegood girl and Luca. He could just make out their conversation -- her tryout.  _ His _ tryout. He half hoped she’d figure it out right there. When she didn’t, and the other two had left, he found himself approaching her.

She turned to him, eyes flashing. Draco smirked, leaning casually on a nearby shelf.

"What are you playing at, Malfoy?" She asked warily.

"I'm not playing at anything. Who's to say  _ you're  _ not the one playing something?"

"I think you know bloody well that I never tried out for the team. It's your fault I couldn't!" Her voice was rising. He was surprised to realize that her quick temper annoyed him, that it wasn’t what he wanted in this exchange. He straightened.

"Yes,” he acknowledged coolly. “And my fault that you did make it." Draco turned stiffly and exited the library, leaving her to gape after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2020 - I’m feeling much happier with the direction this is going, it’s tailoring up nicely. Still have some things to work through, but I’m getting some ideas of just how to accomplish that…
> 
> 2006 - Well, I don't think it's as well written as I would have hoped, but here it is. It's late, but I DID promise this chapter! Let’s get back to the technical difficulties though... How could Snape just HAPPEN to have Polyjuice potion? Well, dearies, like I said in the last chapter, it rather went off in an unplanned direction, so liberties had to be taken. Needs must! R&R!


	15. A Hint of Blackmail

“The nerve of him! I could've bloody well made the team on my own, thank you very much!" No sooner had Malfoy left the library, than Ginny followed suit, catching up to Luca and hauling her up to their dormitory to speak in private.

"Yes, but Ginny dear, the point is that he felt compelled to do it in the first place. You should be thankful that a  _ Malfoy _ of all people is capable of such… such  _ niceness _ ," Luca pointed out reasonably.

"Now don’t  _ you _ forget, I wouldn’t have been there in the first place if it weren’t for him!”

“You make a fair point,” Luca conceeded.

“But why? And how? Why?" Ginny was pacing the room, hair wildly disheveled from being repeatedly mauled by her agitated hands. Luca, on the other hand, was reclining on her bed, propped up by one elbow and grinning ear to ear.

"You seem rather distraught over this. He probably used some spell or something. He  _ is  _ a wizard, after all. Even if he is a right git of a wizard, he is one all the same."

"You know what?" Ginny stopped her pacing and whirled to face her friend. Luca raised her eyebrows questioningly. "I reckon he’s working an angle. Probably hoping this will put me off my guard so he can knock me flat with whatever he and that friend of his cook up next.” 

"Dear, I don't think Crabbe  _ or  _ Goyle is much of the mastermind type."

"Not them, you goose! That Zabini guy!" Ginny waved her hand vaguely.

Luca rolled onto her back, examining the back of her hand intently. "Oh. Him." Sitting back up to face Ginny she added, "He's quite hot, isn’t he?"

Ginny rolled her eyes, but couldn't suppress a grin. "Do you fancy him?"

Luca did not answer outright, but grinned mischievously as she flopped back down on her bed. "So, what say you to me going to have a chat with this Zabini? I’ll just poke around a bit, have a look-see at whatever is  _ cooking _ , to put it in your own words."

"You sure this is all for  _ my  _ sake?" Ginny narrowed her eyes.

"Of course dear, fear not. This is business." Though Luca was clearly trying to convey a sense of casual solemnity, she failed miserably.

Ginny shook her head in amusement. "I am  _ so  _ going with you."

At lunch a short while later, Ginny and Luca’s discussion about how best to get Blaise Zabini alone was interrupted by an awkward cough from across the table.

"Uh, Gin, sorry to disturb whatever it is you’re..." Harry trailed off at Ginny’s cool stare. “Er, right. Why is Malfoy staring at you?”

Ginny and Luca both twisted around to get a better look at the Slytherin table. Malfoy was indeed looking at her, a wide grin on his pinched face. Ginny's jaw dropped when he blew her a kiss. Eyes wide, she turned to face Luca.

"We have  _ got  _ to get to the bottom of this."

Their chance came towards the end of the meal, when Blaise got up and left the Great Hall. Glancing at one another, they stood in unison, swallowing their last mouthfuls of macaroni.

Out in the Entrance Hall, they spied Blaise just starting down the corridor to the dungeons. Without a word, they hurried up to him, each girl linking one arm through his. Together, they steered him into the closest empty classroom before releasing him.

"He-llo ladies! I know I’m rather fabulous, but don’t you think we should get a little better acquainted first?" Blaise chuckled as he backed away, his hands up in mock defense.

"Let’s skip the formalities this time, Zabini. We're here on business," Ginny said with little patience. Blaise's eyebrows rose. Rolling her eyes, Ginny continued. "We know Malfoy's up to something."

"Is he now?" Blaise settled onto a desk.

"Yes, and you're going to help us." Ginny and Luca closed in on him.

Glancing between the two, he asked, "So you want me to let you in on this new tactic of Draco's to win the  _ lovely _ Miss Weasley's heart?"

Ginny blinked.  _ What?  _ Then noticing his playful smile, she snapped back. "No. You're our spy."

Blaise considered this, his gaze unseeingly directed at the far wall. After a beat, he sat up straighter, his attention returning to the girls. "So, what sort of spy work shall I do?"

"Your job is to keep us posted on new developments in this little war," Luca explained.

"Ah, but don't you think it'd be a tad suspicious if I was seen galavanting off with two Gryffindors? Especially," he added, "when one is the very person he's set out to torment? Not very wise, is it?"

"That's what I'm for!" Luca beamed. "We are the-- oh,  _ middlemen _ , I suppose. We are the only connection Ginny has to Malfoy's ideas."

"Perhaps you’ve forgotten -- I'm a Slytherin. How do you know I won’t tell Draco about  _ your _ plots?" It seemed that Blaise wasn’t going to allow himself to be complicit quite so easily, after all. Nevertheless, Ginny had accounted for this.

"Well, that wouldn't exactly be in your best interest now would it? We've got things you might not like to see floating around the corridors..." Ginny trailed off, an evil glint in her eye.

Blaise's eyebrows again rose, and Ginny thought she could detect the slightest chink in his carefree facade.  _ Oh, how much fun it would be to make him squirm,  _ she thought.

"What might that be?" Blaise asked, his expression almost too neutral.

"Oh, nothing. Just this picture..." Ginny reached into her robes and produced a small, glossy photograph.

"What is that?" Blaise narrowed his eyes.

Pretending to scrutinize the image, she said, "Well, there’s some bloke here-- oh, that’s you, and he’s-- well blimey, he’s snogging Marcus Flint!"

"Lemme see that!" Blaise tried to snatch it out of her hands, but Ginny held it just out of reach. "I never did that, it's a fake picture!"

" _ We  _ know that, but the rest of the school doesn't. After all, to see is to believe!" Matching smirks adorned the girls' faces. Blaise sighed.

"I haven't much of a choice, have I?"

"Nope."


End file.
